How to pronounce “hair”
Say “hair” in one beat
hair
/hɛɹ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /heə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- hairhɛɹ
- IPA (American)
- /hɛɹ/
- IPA (British)
- /heə/
- Respelling
- HER
- Syllables
- 1 — hair
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /hɛɹ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/hɛɹ/
/heə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “hair” means
- noun
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
“he combed his hair”
- noun
a very small distance or space
“they escaped by a hair's-breadth”
- noun
filamentous hairlike growth on a plant
“peach fuzz”
Say it in a sentence
“She tied her hair back before starting the hike.”“hair”, answered
How do you pronounce “hair”?
“hair” is pronounced /hɛɹ/ (HER) in American English and /heə/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /hɛɹ/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “hair” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /hɛɹ/ — a single beat.
Is “hair” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /hɛɹ/ (HER); British English says /heə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “hair” mean?
As a noun: a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss For example: “he combed his hair” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “hair”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /hɛɹ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “hair” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.